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Missing

6 April 2018Hindi2h
out of 10
Unfavorablemost critics didn't like it
Monk Score · 10 scored reviews · 1 not rated

A thriller undone by its own script, despite Tabu's committed work.

Verdict tier Unfavorable, most critics didn't like it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Tabu and cast performances
  • Criticised: Weak, illogical script

Audience

User score 7.0 out of 10 from 1 rating, not enough ratings for a verdict yet
Read 1 audience review ↓

Not streaming in India

Critic consensus

What 11 critics are saying

Critical reception for Missing is largely negative, with most reviewers finding the film undermined by a weak, illogical script and a failure to generate genuine suspense. The most consistent praise goes to Tabu, and to a lesser extent Manoj Bajpayee, with some critics also noting competent camerawork and editing as relative strengths. However, the overwhelming consensus is that the film wastes a strong cast through poor writing, bad dialogue, and an unsatisfying climax. Several critics noted the thriller veers into unintentional comedy, and few found it worthwhile beyond its lead performances.

How the 10 scores spread

1 not-rated review isn't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 11 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (11)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    How do you manage a casting coup (Manoj Bajpayee and Tabu) and then waste those talents so spectacularly? How do you create an alleged plot that's so witless?
  2. Sify

    Film review ·

    If you are a Tabu fan, you'd find it easier to handle the incongruities that surface throughout the film. If not, then the going might get tough for you.
  3. Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    Slightly disoriented, but Manoj Bajpayee-Tabu make it work...Missing isn't a spellbinding thriller you were waiting for, but it has its moments.
  4. IBNLive

    Film review ·

    Perhaps a watertight script and logic-backed ending could have saved this so-called thriller. Nevertheless, a decent effort by Abhyankar.
  5. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    What good is a thriller that's not thrilling? It gets worse when you start laughing at a mystery movie. Any and all prospect of this film is lost in the midst of shoddy filmmaking.
  6. Bollywood Life

    Film review ·

    Missing keeps you hooked but it is largely due to the camerawork, crisp editing and Tabu and Annu Kapoor's performance. The film is let down by bad dialogues. While Mukul has succeeded in building some truly suspenseful scenes, the film loses steam in the last 15 minutes. At the climax, you know what to expect but the treatment isn't bad. It leaves you unsatisfied thinking it could be have been a lot better.
  7. Rediff

    Film review ·

    The monotony is awfully exhausting and drab in the absence of script, craft and nerve-racking unpredictability...
  8. NowRunning

    Film review ·

    Sushant Dubey and Aparna Dubey check into a Mauritian resort late night with their very unwell daughter Titli. By the morning, the child is missing. Everything literally begins to unravel as you watch cringeworthy hamming from greats like Tabu and Manoj Bajpayee. To add to the mess Annu Kapoor shows up as a cop overacting as always. It's been touted as a 'murder-mystery', because they murdered cinema and it will be a mystery why these good actors chose to 'act' in this film.

From our readers

Audience reviews (1)

1 rating · user score 7.0

  1. Tejas NairJun 2018
    7/10

    Manoj Bajpayee is absolutely brilliant as an opportunistic and philandering womanizer in Mukul Abhyankar's ambitious psychological drama Missing that is largely led by Tabu. Hers is the main character here, who steals focus from her audience as this worried mother of a young girl named Titli, who goes missing later in the film. Missing narrates the story of these three characters as Annu Kapoor, playing an Indian cop in Mauritious, heads the investigation of the missing child. Abhyankar's writing is tight and you are going to be hooked since the first frame itself. Apart from the gradual unfolding of events, and thereby the truth, there's an air of suspense throughout the 120-minute running time as you try to predict what will happen with the characters. Sometimes funny but always thrilling, Missing works because of writer-director Abhyankar's solid direction and execution. Bajpayee shines better than Tabu, although it is the joint effort by the entire cast that makes this more worthwhile. I am also impressed by the score by M M Kreem, which compensates the issues I have with the plot and the several holes in it. Even if you regard these issues as problematic, the unexpected climax and the consequences of all the proceedings makes Missing an above average thriller. They hardly make such films in Bollywood, so it is important for us to take note and appreciate when they do. Catch it when you can. TN.

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